What are my chances?

Japher
Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:33:40 +0000

Would it matter if I went on to get a job within an engineering discipline or should I stay more towards the business world after graduation?



This would all depend on the career path you want to take.

I’m a ChemE with an MBA. My pre-MBA experience was engineering, bioengineering to be specific. I had no bioengineering courses in college and no bio courses since my sophomore year in high school. I worked for 7 years then got my MBA, no PE required for regulated industries, and now I am in technology design. I utilize my MBA coupled with my engineering degree and background to bring new technologies to the market, still in the biotechnology industry. I would eventually like to start my own company and then work in VC.

I tell you my background because it took a strange path after graduation. You should view graduation from college as a “stepping off” rather than a progression of your studies. Life can take you anywhere you work at it, not just where your degree dictates.



nother option that I have been considering is becoming a P.E. (Professional Engineer) which usually takes about 5 years of working in the real world and getting my MBA after that. Would that help set me apart from other candidates?



Probably, but maybe not in a good way. MBA admission is going to be asking themselves, as they look at your application, ‘how will an MBA help this individual get to the next level in their career?’ I would do what I can, as quickly as I could, to be able to set myself up to show that I really need the degree to get pass the wall I am facing. Getting a PE is great for the earning potential of an engineer and will lead to opportunities in design and consulting, but does this say that in order to progress you need an MBA? Maybe, maybe not. It may even set you on a path that will completely diverge from even needing an MBA (note: many people are successful without an MBA). These are questions you have to ask yourself as you investigate more as to what an MBA is and why you might want one. Be aware that an MBA is not a technical degree and a PE is a technical certification, what are you doing to marriage the technical with the non-tech?

A final note about work experience; the best way to set yourself apart is to show you are a leader, a doer, and a team player. Figure that out and show success/advance doing so and you will have a good shot at Top 10.